Posts Tagged ‘marriage equality’

With just one day left to register for the upcoming marriage referendum in 2015, we asked Ted O’Connell from Loafers, for a few words on Marriage Equality:

“I was married once. We had lived together for a while beforehand. I wasn’t really convinced at the time that marriage was all that important. After all, we were in love, weren’t we? However..

I still remember the day we did get married. Everything changed. We were a unit. We were united. We were legitimized, accepted automatically by everyone, friends, family, and, yes, society, It really made an impression on me at the time. It solidified a relationship that went on to buy a house together, have 2 beautiful daughters, to make a difference.

The fact that I later came out as a gay man isn’t even relevant. That was between my ex-wife and I.

The point is that marriage is important. Gay marriage is important. People, gay or straight, deserve the same validation, should they choose to seek it. And that is an important point. Some lgbti people don’t want to choose it, which is absolutely their right.

What I am saying is that marriage equality matters. It says a lot about who we are as a society. Nobody loses if we are free to marry the person we love.”

Today marks the official launch of Marriage Equality’s new Civil Partnership Supplier Directory – an online resource for same sex couples planning their civil partnership ceremonies. The new section of the Marriage Equality website – which went live on December 1st last year – features a directory of gay-friendly venues, photographers and jewellers, as well as links to information on the legalities of civil partnerships in Ireland.

Moninne Griffith, Director of Marriage Equality, said “We decided to set up our Civil Partnership Supplier Directory because we wanted to match gay and lesbian couples with suppliers who actively support LGBT rights and freedoms, including marriage equality. According to a survey of same sex couples carried out last year by wedding website Mrs2be.ie, many of our own supporters are planning to register Civil Partnerships in the near future, but nearly 1/3 of them have had difficulties finding LGBT friendly suppliers for their big day. At the same time, we’ve had many calls and emails from vendors and suppliers who are keen to reach same sex couples, but aren’t sure how to go about it.”

The organisation, which campaigns for equality for same sex couples and families in Ireland, also features information on charity favour cards and “Registering for Equality” – in which couples can set up a personalised page on MyCharity.ie to request donations to Marriage Equality in lieu of (or as well as) gifts. All proceeds go to support Marriage Equality’s campaign for equality, which includes two highly successful viral videos – Rory’s Story and Sinead’s Hand – as well as a recent billboard campaign featuring same sex couples and families, and highlighting the ongoing inequalities and legal difficulties faced by same sex couples and their families despite the progress made with the Civil Partnership scheme.

“Many couples out there are still committed to fighting for equality,” said Ms Griffith, “but, understandably, they want to avail of the rights and entitlements available at the moment to same sex couples by registering a Civil Partnership. By asking guests to consider making a donation to Marriage Equality, or by using our charity favour cards, they are able to support our work and raise awareness of the continued, urgent need for equality, while also celebrating their big day.”

Marriage Equality believes that Civil Partnership is an important stepping stone on the way to full equality. Their recent report, “Missing Pieces” – an in-depth comparison of the current Civil Partnership Act and the various laws governing marriage in Ireland – found 169 legislative differences between civil partnership and civil marriage, most notably around the rights of children of same sex couples, who are left in legal limbo under the Civil Partnership Act.